David Cohen's Obituary
COHEN, David Arthur of Boynton Beach, Florida passed away on July 13, 2023. He was 80 years old.
David was born in Cleveland, Ohio to Philip and Edna Cohen in 1943, and was the younger brother of Gerald. The Cohen family relocated to East Lansing, Michigan for a work opportunity for his father Philip, and David attended high school there. David worked and lived at home while attending college at Michigan State University, studying Television and Radio. Michigan State is where he met Carol Bennett, his college sweetheart. They were married in 1967.
David was drafted and served his country, attending basic training in 1967 at Fort Knox during the Vietnam War. Thankfully, David was tapped to serve stateside in New York at West Point and applied to work in the federal government. He also worked briefly as a Page in New York City for Lenny Bruce and met the Beatles.
David and Carol settled in the Washington, DC suburbs and had two sons, Jeffrey and Michael, in the early 1970s. David began his career as a Foreign Service Officer working for the State Department at the US Information Agency (USIA). He became a talented and award-winning television director for the USIA (Voice of America Television) and David worked with five US presidents, amongst many other world dignitaries, throughout his career. His job also required him to travel overseas, sometimes with very little notice and tremendous secrecy. David could rely on his partner Carol to take care of the boys and home whenever urgent national matters unexpectedly called David out of town.
David worked very hard to create a great life for his family, and he and Carol enjoyed being an active part of their Northern Virginia community in their free time. They were members of a Temple Chavurah group and a Gourmet Group, who became their lifelong friends. David happily retired in his mid-50s and relocated with Carol to South Florida to be near their boys’ families and grandchildren. For David, family always came first.
David made friends from all corners of life and was always ready with a good joke or interesting story – he lit up every room he was in. He enjoyed discussing sports, politics, music, movies, entertainment, or just life. He had a great laugh. He also gave very good and wise advice.
In his later years, David cherished his role as Grandpa and cheerfully sang silly songs to his beloved grandchildren. He delighted in their company and was very proud of their individual achievements. There is no more loving, fun, smart, supportive, or generous Parent/ Grandpa you will find.
David will be very sorely missed by his sons Jeffrey (Aimee) Cohen and Michael (Ivy) Cohen, and grandchildren Zachary, Max, Sydney, and Landon. He is also mourned by many loving cousins, nieces, and nephews.
The family is holding a Service at the Beth Israel Memorial Chapel in Delray Beach, FL on Sunday, July 16, 2023, at 8:45 a.m. EST. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the American Heart Association (heart.org) or The American Stroke Association (stroke.org).
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